Enhancing the lives of the under fives

According to the NHS website children under the age of five should not be inactive for long periods of time unless they are sleeping. Included in its ‘inactivity’ descriptions are watching TV, travelling in the car, being strapped in a buggy and other sedentary behaviours. Obviously, these cannot be avoided completely, but awareness is half the cure for almost any issue. The good news is that even light activity can have a significant positive impact on a child’s physical health and mental wellbeing. So you don’t need to push five-year-olds into joining the local running club, taking up mountain biking, or putting them on a ‘future Olympian’ training program to get them moving. Simply encouraging them to walk for part of the buggy ride, stopping for a movement break when on long car journeys, or having a playtime between favourite TV shows would help.